Forbidden Feelings

Pillow Fight and Wanda's Visit

"You regret that?" I ask again.

"Not in the slightest."

A minute later I say, "You need to call Bruce."

"Yeah I do. What do I say?"

"You'll figure it out," I reply, because she will. She's the best at improvising a person can get. And a good kisser, I won't deny, too. She gets out the phone she was allowed to bring and clicks on Bruce's contact. It has a little red heart emoji next to it, but before hitting the call button she edits the contact and gets rid of it. Then she hits the call button and puts it on speaker. We are still mere inches apart. It takes Bruce hardly a second to answer. 

"Natasha! How are you? How's the mission? Are you okay?"

"I'm find Bruce. You?"

"Couldn't be better."

"Look, I've got something to tell you." At that she looks at me with a panicked expression. I almost say something but just shrug instead. 

"What is is?"

"I, uh, think we should break up." She bites her bottom lip.

"Break up? Why? Natasha, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Bruce I promise. I just - think it's for the best."

"Give me one good reason why."

"You sure."

"Yes. One good reason."

"Ok, here goes. I...just made out with Steve."

"Rogers?"

"Yeah. Look, Bruce, I don't want this to ruin our friendship. I hope we can still be friends. But you gotta promise not to tell anyone, alright?"

"Is he there with you now?"

"Yeah, he is. Say hi." I say hi into the phone.

"How long have you been with him?"

"I'm not 'with him.' But look, Bruce, he's just been really kind to me on this mission and he knows things about me that no one else does. I just don't think it's fair on you."

"What does he know?"

"Stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like how I'm not able to have kids," she says in an angrier tone. "Like how I sing Russian lullabies to myself when I'm upset. And you know what Bruce? He understands them, he knows what they mean in English and to me. He doesn't pry about what the lyrics mean or what possible meaning they have in my life. And he doesn't question my sleeping habits, or ask questions as to why I don't ever sleep in the same room as someone else. He just understands. Doesn't question it, he just accepts exactly as I am." She finishes and I'm left speechless. I never thought she paid attention to the way I treated her, or took it so personally. 

The phone line goes dead, and she plants into the mattress and then rolls off the bed without even looking at me, landing on the floor with a thud. I hang my head over the edge of the bed and say, "Well, I guess the only way is up."

"Do you mean that literally or metaphorically?"

"Both."

"Well, let's get up then. Give me a hand," she says, and I pull her up off the floor. "Can we just forget everything that's just happened?"

"Sure. Including you winning the pillow fight."

"Except that." She smirks at me and goes into the bathroom to get changed. Suddenly there's a knock at the door and I realise I still don't have a shirt on.

 "Just a second!" I call, putting one on and making my hair look presentable. I put my shield just out of view of the door just in case. I slowly open it and to my surprise I see Wanda standing there. 

"Good morning Steve. Is Natasha around? I need to speak with her," she says. 

"Uh, yeah, she's just in there, getting changed. Come in, come in," I say. What is she doing here? 

"Sorry to come by so unexpectedly but there's some important news for her and Bruce decided to send me." 

"Yeah no worries," I say, kicking any clothes that are hanging around into a corner. Bruce? What does Bruce want? "Do you want anything to eat? There's some biscuits."

"Oh I'm good thank you," she says, and then Nat comes out of the bathroom, her hair in a towel turban. It amazes me how people can do that with a towel. 

"Wanda! It's so good to see you! How are you?" Natasha says, hugging her. 

"Great thanks, how's the mission?"

*Natasha's POV* 

"Pretty tedious," I tell her. 

"Fury said there's nothing new so we'll probably be stuck here for at least two days more." I glance at Steve but then look back to Wanda. 

"So, what brings you here? I didn't expect to see anyone other than Steve for a while," I say. 

"Bruce sent me," she says, and I freeze. 

"What did he tell you?" 

"He said there's some news for you, and I'm the best one to tell you. Steve, would you mind?" Wanda says. 

"Oh, right, sure, I'll head in there and put the radio on," he reassured us, and goes into the bathroom. The radio switches on and a minute later we hear Steve belting out the lyrics to 'don't stop me now' by Queen. We laugh and then get down to business 

"So what's the news?" I ask, my stomach in knots. 

"Well, Bruce has been doing some...research, and he thinks there's a way to reverse what they did to you in the Red Room," Wanda says. Reverse what? Research? What does Wanda know? She's my best friend, but how much has she been told? 

"Reverse what?" 

"Your ability to...get pregnant."